Just one of those “let’s throw them in the case and see how the fans react” teasers. LOVE for them. Do it!

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I’ve always been a fan of team books.  Team books let you read about a whole bunch  of heroes for the price of one comic.  My first exposure to team books was Justice League of America #148 back in the late 70′s.  This book not only featured 5 members of the JLA, but 5 members of the Justice Society and 9 members of the Legion of Super Heroes as well.  Soon I found myself buying books featuring all 3 of those teams.  I also enjoyed Batman and Superman team up books.  Solo features just felt too expensive.  After the JLA broke up, I did read solo books, most notably Wally West Flash, Green Lantern (Hal then Kyle), and Wonder Woman.

The Satellite JLA

My thirst for team books led me to The New Teen Titans in 1980.  I added the Avengers and West Coast Avengers.  I had avoided the X-Men because everyone said their story had too much back story and it would be too hard to understand.  In 1990, I started with X-Force #1 and followed quickly with X-Men #1, Uncanny X-Men, and X-Factor. (more…)

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JLU Fans are a very vocal group here at AFI.  Tomorrow we are getting the opportunity to add one more character to our collections, a special character, S.T.R.I.P.E.  (Twice is enough for all those periods.) STRIPE is special for a number of reasons.

1. STRIPE is an oversized figure.  This maxes him either doomed to being too small in scale or impossible to fit in normal packaging.  In this case, Mattel did us proud.  They made a special offering to get us STRIPE in the right size.

2. STRIPE is one of the last remaining members of the TV JLU team.  I’ve lost track of how many members there are, but we know how many are left, eight.  This brings us one closer to a full set.

3. STRIPE is only offered on MattyCollector.com.  Demand for the line at retail has fallen to the point where no retailers are willing to carry it anymore.  Target was our partner in getting many of the JLU figures into our hands after Walmart and Toys R US stopped carrying the line.  Now Target has moved on to other lines they hope will be more profitable.

4. STRIPE is kind of lithmus test to determine true demand for the line going forward.  Mattel has a number of plans to try to get the remaining figures to us that are almost done.  We’ve seen three 3-packs at conventions this year. (There are still a few more stops planned on the Mattel Fan Appreciation tour.  I plan on catching up with the team at NYCC in the Fall.)  Then we have STRIPE tomorrow.  Later in the year, there will be a 7-pack to finish off the card holding members of the team, also on MattyCollector.com.  Finally, the two 3-packs closest to being complete are planned for a release on MattyCollector.com as well.  What is the test?  If all, and I mean ALL, of these do well, there is a chance we may see more JLU on MattyCollector.com.

When buying STRIPE tomorrow, I highly recommend checking out the other offerings as well.  My gut is telling me that we might get another chance to buy the JLU Parademon 2-pack and the Darkseid/Kalibak 2-pack sets.  Its just the way they are listed on the sale page.  It may not be tomorrow, but my gut is telling me we might get another chance.

There has been a grass roots effort, by a number of fans who frequent both AFi and other toy collector sites, to SAVE THE JLU.  Tomorrow will be big for them.  If you are a JLU fan and have not visited their Facebook page, why not pop by and say “hi”.

Tomorrow is the day.  The day to put your money where your mouth is if you are a JLU fan and want the line to continue.  Be sure to come back to AFi and tell us how your buying experience went.

– Neither this site nor the author are connected to Mattel in any way. –

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As you have read HERE, the latest AFi Fan Bracket has come to a close.  Well…technically, it close weeks ago, but…anyway, for those keeping score, below is the final image of the Bracket with matchups.

click for bigger image

Thanks to all of you who supported this Bracket with humor, patience, and understanding.  I am already in the planning stages for the next Bracket, hopefully to avoid some of the scheduling issues we’ve run into on the last ones.  So comment below what you guys want to see!

Teen Titans?  DCU Villains?  Legion of Superheroes?  Obscure C-List Characters?

Let me know!

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Everyone knows that you’re supposed to remove your lightsaber when you enter a Yoda studio.

(This blog is just a pre-SDCC test of the WordPress mobile app.)

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Get yer smokin’ hot 2011 Action Figure Insider exclusive tee shirts! Just in the nick of time for the San Diego Comic Con the folks at AFi have designed a new tee shirt for all you more style conscious nerds. Be the envy of geek hordes everywhere as you proudly show off your allegiance to the most awesome action figure site on the interwebs.

(more…)

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OK, so my last entry described all the creepy goings-on in Missouri. The haunted places, the strange deaths, and the MoMo – Missouri’s answer to Bigfoot. Still with me?

Since I grew up in Arizona, you’re likely wondering why exactly was in Missouri?  Well, my family owns a summer cabin there, just outside of the small town of Warrenton and not far from Washington and Union (reportedly one of the most haunted places in MO).  The cabin itself is located in a private community, far off the main highway and at the end of a 2 mile winding gravel road through the deep woods.  At times, this brief trip can be very disconcerting, no matter the time of day. In daylight, there are all sorts of shadows and uneasy moments of odd silence. At night, the mind plays tricks and you feel like there could be anything lurking in the darkness, quietly watching your every move.

(more…)

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